In agriculture it is a well known practice to bale crop material using balers that create round or cylindrical bales. It is also a common practice to store such bales outdoors where they are exposed to the elements of rain and snow. Nearly all, round bales stored outside without some form of protection from rain and/or snow will experience mold growth in the outer rind of the bale. The potential benefits of applying mold inhibiting preservatives to hay either during a baling process or to the finished bale are well known and include (a) permitting the hay to be baled and stored at higher moisture contents without spoilage, thus reducing field losses and making the hay making operation less dependent on favorable weather conditions; (b) improved palatability and digestibility; and (c) higher nutrient content. The relative importance of these benefits varies with the crop being treated and the preservative used.
Accordingly, preparations of buffered propionic acid or anhydrous ammonia are sometimes applied to the hay at the time of baling to prevent bacterial and mold growth. Typically, these preparations are applied to the entire bale as it is being formed or injected into the bale after formation. Because of this, there is a desire to apply the preservative only to the portion of the bale having a moisture content requiring preservative application.
Today there are several moisture sensors on the market that measure the moisture of hay as it is being baled. All of these systems use one or more sensors to estimate the average moisture of the hay being harvested. Some of these systems provide a means of applying crop preservative to the hay based on the average moisture level of the incoming crop. The problem with basing the preservative application rates on the average moisture level is that many times the average value appears to be at a suitable moisture level when in fact a significant portion of the crop is at high moisture level that requires a preservative for proper storage. For example, hay normally can be properly stored without applying a preservative at moisture levels less than 20% wet basis (wb) wherein wb=(weight of water)/(weight of crop material+water). If the incoming crop consisted of 75% of the crop being at 18% wb and 25% of the crop being at 25% wb, the average value=19.25% wb. Based on the average value, one would assume that the crop would not need to be treated with a preservative, when in reality it should have been.
Therefore, basing application rates on average hay moisture values does not allow one to recognize (or identify) that a problem exists and/or the extent of the problem.
Because of this, there is a desire to apply the preservative only to the portion of the bale having a moisture content requiring preservative application and/or applying the preservative at a controlled rate according to the sensed moisture content of incoming crop.